Better Days
by RadicalEd4Ein
Summary: Ten years after Spikes death, and after Ed and ein ran away to find her father, Andy and faye had had five kids, divorced, and left the boutny hunting buisness. Now, they here from jet That theres a huge boutny on a mysterious Hacker, are they in?
1. Boutny Head

This is the beginning of a long story that some friends and I got the idea for. So, this is just the opening to a complicated plot. Pay very close attention to every sentence of every chapter. ^.^  
  
It was a calm autumn after noon while Faye sat on her front porch, watching two of her four sons run around on the front lawn. All ranged from the ages of four to ten. Her daughter, Sierra, of who was five, sat next to her, her hands folded on her lap as she watched her brothers. They were both dressed in cowboy costumes, pretending to shoot each other with fake guns.  
  
"I'm going to be daddy when I grow up!!!" Her four year old Carson yelled at the other.  
  
"No, I am!!" Yelled her six year old, Jordan. Faye shook her head as Sierra giggled. The front door swung open, and there stood, Julian, her seven year old, dressed in a Samurai outfit.  
  
"Awe..that's not far, Julian won.." Faye gasped in horror as her little samurai stood proudly. Faye dreaded the thought of any of them ending up like their father. She shuttered at the thought. To her, Andy was just a conceited idiot who stole the best years of her life. Andy (Jr.), her fifteen year old, pushed Julian aside, and sat by his mom, his arms crossed.  
  
"You suck .." He muttered to her. She hit him on the back of the head.  
  
"Excuse me?" she yelled at him. "You know, you could go live with your father if you wanted"  
  
"Id rather live on the streets than live with either of you" He hissed at her. Jordan was the kind of kid who had the against the world attitude  
  
"Go ahead, be my guest" Faye said casually. Jordan's jaw dropped slightly.  
  
"As a mom, you're supposed to try to sto.." There was a loud crash heard from inside, and they soon realized that the troublesome trio was gone. They rushed inside, Sierra tagging along behind them to find them in the kitchen, each of them standing on another shoulders. Glass was shattered all over the floor as they tried to reach for a jar on a high shelf.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Faye shrieked.  
  
"Boys will be boys." A familiar voice said coolly behind them. Faye grinded her teeth, and clenched her fists tightly as she turned around to find Andy leaning against the wall, his hat tipped slightly in front of his face.  
  
"That's easy for you to say, you don't have to clean it up." Faye growled at him. The three boys looked over at them surprisingly, and fell onto the ground into a pile.  
  
"Daddy!" they all yelled as they got up and tackled him  
  
"Whoa there partners!" Andy chuckled as he caught his balance. He looked at Andy.  
  
"Howdy there cowboy" Andy said to Him.  
  
"I hate you" he growled as he walked into the living room. He frowned and got onto his knees and laughed  
  
"Saddle up partners" he said to his toddlers. They all squealed with joy and jumped onto his back.  
  
"Get off the floor, I just mopped. I don't want your dirty bacteria all over my clean floor." Faye told him as she crossed her arms.  
  
"Looks like mommy's got PMS" he whispered to his sons. They giggled at the word and scurried off into the living room. Andy got up and brushed himself off.  
  
"Faye, there's something I need to tell you." Faye looked away, and tapped her foot. Andy waited.  
  
"Okay, im listening" she said, still looking away.  
  
"There's an enormous bounty on a hacker on."  
  
"I don't want to hear it" Faye interrupted.  
  
"But Faye."  
  
"My Bounty hunting days are over Andy, do you understand me?" she said as she glared at him. "OVER"  
  
"Yes but.."  
  
"ANDY"  
  
"I talked to jet."  
  
Her face expression softened. "What?"  
  
"I talked to Jet, this would be a chance to see him again, and he said he's in if we are."  
  
She sighed, thinking of the last time she had seen him. Jet had been like a brother to her. Plus, she needed the money to pay off the debt she owed the hospital for them cryogenically freezing her.  
  
"Yeah, okay." she muttered  
  
"So, you're in?"  
  
"Yeah, im in..." Faye muttered.  
  
"YEE HA!!!" Andy yelled as he jumped into the air.  
  
"Jesus Christ Andy, keep your pants on. For heaven sakes, PLEASE keep your pants on. And don't you dare think im doing this for you. I need the money." She looked down at Sierra "And it's not like you've been paying child support either."  
  
"Heheheh" A sweat drop rolled down his head as he took his hat off "about that.I've been going threw some hard times and."  
  
"Andy! Excuse me?! WHOS RAISING FIVE KIDS?! Hmmm???? So don't you even tell me about hard time's mister" She began to tap her foot again. Her arms still crossed.  
  
"I Mean, come on Faye, working at a barbeque ranch house isn't the best paying job there is."  
  
"Yes, yes..Buckin Bills Barbeque ranch house...."  
  
"Don't forget the Inc. Part" Andy said with a wink.  
  
"Yeah, Inc., for Incoherent nut case." Faye said with a sigh "What ever happened to your 'ever so successful' company?"  
  
"Stupid sushi restraints.." Andy muttered  
  
Okay every1 the next chapter will be up really soon. This story is gunna be a long one. So, be patient please ^^. Thanks, ja ne! 


	2. 3rd Rock blues

Session #0010-0111  
  
3rd Rock Blues  
  
"Eiiiiiiiiiiin!" Ed shouted as she pulled her self up over the rocky cliff.  
  
"Ein?"  
  
Ed looked out into the distance raising her hand to her forehead to block the bright light of the glaring sun.  
  
"Now where could he have run off to"?  
  
Ed continued down the sleep slope of crushed moon rock and fragments of earth.  
  
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Just than the earth that Ed stood on began to tremble and shake. As Ed looked up at the top of the hill she saw a rush of rocks and dust rolling, flowing, screaming down towards her. With a blank expression on her face, she started to say something, but decided the time would be better spent trying to save her life.  
  
Ed rushed down hill as fast as she could, all she could think about was finding a way around the avalanche rather than try to out run it. As Ed ran down faster and faster her scream soon turned into laughter. Only to someone like Ed could this be considered fun. Just than a familiar sound was heard as she was avoiding the "avalanche".  
  
"Woof.....Woooof"  
  
Ed quickly stopped, almost as if in mid air, but snapping out of her trance soon enough to jump to the ledge where the sound was coming from.  
  
"EIIIIIIIN there you are! I found you!"  
  
As she stepped on the ledge, the "avalanche" of rocks raced by her and continued down the hill. Ed's smile and joy for finding Ein soon turned into a wince of pain, as she looked down at her cut up feet. Ein moaned sympathetically.  
  
"Heh... Ein, maybe we she take it easy on the hide and go seek eh?" she said with only half-seriousness.  
  
"Woof."  
  
-End Scene- "Dr. Kiko?...odd..." Ed yelled, then whispered. "Kiko would respond to Ed immediately... let's go look Ein!" Ein gave a bark of approval.  
  
Ed walked into Dr. Kiko's office expecting him to be at his desk. Ed, with Ein right at her side, started to walk around to the back of the office. She then saw Dr. Kiko sitting down in the basement, his attention focused towards the T.V. From where she was, she couldn't hear, nor see what Dr. Kiko was so intent on. Must have been something good if the good doctor didn't even hear Ed's screaming, she thought. She started to walk down the steps, and put her finger to her mouth, signaling for Ein to keep quiet. As she got closer to the basement floor she heard...  
  
".The Red Dragon Syndicate was quoted today in response to the allegations; "...the frozen bodies, which the ISSP has found on Pluto are in no way connected to the syndicate, or our scientists which are testing new methods of cryogenic freezing and thawing." , although this statement was read by a representative of the syndicate it is still unsure if their leader, Kamui Hyrisho, will respond to the allig-"  
  
"Hiiiiiiiii Kiko!"  
  
Ed dropped down in front of where Dr. Kiko was sitting. Ein followed nearby with a woof to signal his presence, since his friend was doing the same. Sort of.  
  
"Ed! Holy shit, you almost gave me another stroke!" Kiko lambasted Ed, but only half-heartedly.  
  
"Sorry Kiko it's just that Ed and Ein were out playing in the moon rock bay when-" Ed was starting to say.  
  
"No need to say it Ed, let me guess, you were out playing, without your shoes....again.and the sharp rocks cut your feet......again.." Kiko said with a sigh.  
  
"Ed is sorry..." Ed said this making puppy dog eyes, an act many would consider a bit too immature for her age.  
  
"So here take some of this peroxide...again." Kiko said with a lecturing, fatherly voice. " Apply this twice a day, for a week, and make sure NOT to go out with out your shoes again.. even though I know you will."  
  
"Ok, roger!" Ed said, jokingly.  
  
"*Sigh* Ed you aren't a child anymore." Kiko started to lecture once again, knowing that Ed would just lose interest quickly, but still lecturing just the same. "You ARE 24 now, you cant just wander precariously anymore, you've got a job, even if your job is a mystery, it shows bad image to others if you're acting out of the way that society deems your age range to be... so be a little more cautious, and don't be so careless, for me, please?"  
  
"Mmm hmm... Ed's feet hurt." Ed said, completely missing what Dr. Kiko had said.  
  
Ed's attention, as usual, was not focused on the person talking to her. She had caught interest on the T.V. where the news was broadcasting pictures of the frozen bodies found on Pluto. It said that at this time no other information could be found except that they were being transferred to the Mars Research Facility.  
  
"Funny aint it Ed?" Kiko intterupted Ed's trance.  
  
Ed looked at Kiko with a curious, open eyed face.  
  
"To think that people actually would take other humans, or even humans wanting to be willingly frozen... and freeze them just to keep hope that someday they will find a cure for that persons ailment." Kiko was ranting yet again. "If I ever was in contact with someone like that, i'd feel like i'd have to put them out of their misery. No one could be sane after that."  
  
"Yeah you're telling Ed! Once I met this beautiful lady....fa..."  
  
Ed stopped herself from the name she was about to say. A chord had been struck in her, a memory remembered. She looked again at T.V. screen as a tear rolled down her cheek.  
  
"Is something the matter Ed?" Kiko wondered what would ever make this carefree girl cry.  
  
"Its nothing...really....so what makes these bodies so special?" Ed tried to change the subject to improve her mood.  
  
"Well, you see, whenever a body is cryogenically frozen, the pod they are in must be carefully labeled with all of their information so as to not cause confusion. Well these 2 pods were both found unlabeled." Kiko paused, remembering the broadcast. "What's even stranger though, is that they were found buried in the side of an ion mountain on Pluto."  
  
"Side of a mountain? Sounds like a lonely place to keep 2 frozen people! So how do they know if the bodies can be brought back?" Ed was at least getting to the point.  
  
EDIT STOP  
  
"well the main element needed to keep a cryogenically frozen body alive is Ions, and plenty of them, and where else can Ions be found but in an Ion mountain."  
  
"so they don't know who's in em huh?"  
  
"no clue"  
  
"SOUNDS LIKE A JOB FOR RADICAL EDWARD!!!"  
  
"*sigh* Ed please don't go back into your childhood dreams, hacking was a part of your past, this is today, live for the moment, stay out of trouble!"  
  
"Trouble Kiko? HA With Ein and Ed we are the UNSTOPABLE force!!!"  
  
Ed jetted out of the office, with Ein following right behind her.  
  
"That damn kid....."  
  
-End scene-  
  
"1...2...3"  
  
Ed now returned back to her house  
  
"4...5....6...789.....20 READY OR NOT EIN HERE I COME!!!" Ed took off running around the entire house  
  
"Your hear somewhere Ein...I can smell ya!"  
  
Ed than heard a loud bang from the closet in the living room.  
  
"Ein?"  
  
She inched closer to the closet, as she walked she didn't make a sound. She was now crawling on her fingertips, and tippy toes.  
  
"(Whisper) Ein?"  
  
Ed reached for the doorknob, as her hands touched the brass, she hesitantly turned the knob towards her. The door inched open slowly. Than in an instant a great force pushed the door open and boxes upon boxes overflowed out of the closet. Ed poked her head up out from the boxes. Ein than came out from under the couch and walked up to Ed's face. He liked her nose. Ed than slowly opened her eyes, a huge grin appeared on her face.  
  
"Ed found you!"  
  
Ed's happiness soon turned to curiosity as she started to read the label on the boxes in front of her.  
  
"CPU.....goggles.....monitor.."  
  
Ed slowly slid out of the under the boxes, as she bent down lower to look at all the boxes. One specific box caught her attention.  
  
"Be..bop...BEBOP!!!! SCORE!!! Ed found it!"  
  
Ed viciously tore through the box using her hands, feet, and teeth. After the box was destroyed, Ed peered down into the hollow box. Only one thing lay at the bottom of the box. A picture. Ed picked up the picture and analyzed each person on the picture.  
  
"Ed..Ein...Faye..j.*sniff* jet...spike"  
  
The room became silent, Ein stood at attention next to Ed's side. His ears propped up at the sound of footsteps.  
  
*Knock knock*  
  
"Geeze some people really know how to ruin a moment don't they"  
  
"Woof"  
  
Ed jumped to her feet leaving the picture on the ground where she had been sitting  
  
*Knock Knock*  
  
"IM COMING, jeeze keep your pants on, For all our sake!"  
  
Ed stopped all of a sudden trying to remember where she had heard that line. As she opened the door she suddenly remembered  
  
"oh yeah FAYE!"  
  
"sorry princess not Faye, try again"  
  
At the door stood Ciro, the landlord of the apartments that Ed was staying at, a skinny little fellow, blond hair, blue eyes, shaggy beard. It is said he has many warrants out for his arrest, so he hides out in the deserts of Europa and rents out the 4 apartments he built originally as buildings to stash his 'bad mushrooms'.  
  
"Ed, listen up kid, you know how renting works right?"  
  
"uh huh sure Ciro"  
  
"ok you live here correct"  
  
"uh huh sure Ciro"  
  
"Ok well in order for renting to work, I let you live in my drug hou-, ah I mean apartments, and in exchange, You pay me for it!!"  
  
"Uh huh sure Ciro"  
  
"Damnit Ed focus! FOCUS!!"  
  
"Ed...Focus........uh huh"  
  
"Ed you got 2 days to get me this months rent, otherwise you can get back to wandering this earth pointlessly looking for your father!"  
  
"Daddy?!??! You know where he's at?!?"  
  
"*Sigh* Ed, you know when I first met you 10 years ago, it was just you and that damn dog-"  
  
"Woof"  
  
"Ok as I was saying, you and that damn dog, you were looking for your father right? Well guess what, you still are! And guess what else you're still with that damn dog!"  
  
Ed stood looking at Ciro, her eyes started to water, and her bottom lip began to shake.  
  
"OH come on Ed don't start that with me"  
  
Ed broke down to her knees and started to sob as she looked pitifully down at the floor.  
  
"fine Ed ill give you an extra day to come up with the money, BUT that's it! No more pick me ups....and get some damn shoes on!"  
  
Ciro began to walk away, as Ed slowly started to look up. Once he turned the corner, she jumped up and closed the door.  
  
"See Ein its so easy to hack peoples minds, some times Ed thinks its easier to hack into minds than that "ISSP server central", well maybe not.....Ein?"  
  
Ed looked down where Ein was standing, but now he was go. Ed started to search the house for Ein, by following the sounds of his whimpers.  
  
"Ein, I think our game is over, you can come out n-"  
  
Ed found Ein hunched over in the same spot she was sitting at near the closet. Ein's attention was focused on the picture lying on the ground. Ed approached Ein and sat next to him putting her elbow on his back.  
  
"Ein do you remember these people?"  
  
"Woof"  
  
"of course you do, its hard to forget your first home....it was Ed's only home."  
  
Ein looked up at with a confused look on his face  
  
"This is no home Ein, this is just a building with us two living inside..but the bebop, well that was different. Ed thought leaving the bebop was going to lead me to my true home. But instead Ed end up here."  
  
"WOOF"  
  
"Do you think their still up their Ein? Spike, Jet and Faye?, floating around, catching criminals....staying together....like a family. * sigh * it would be impossible to find them now, all bounty hunters have Stealth Computers installed on their ships, un-hackable...even by Ed"  
  
Ed picked up the picture and held it close. She observed everything about it. As she looked at the picture something caught her attention. The pinwheel that was in her hand. Her eyes lit up with joy.  
  
"OF COURSE EIN!!! The pinwheel!!!"  
  
"woof"  
  
"That's the pinwheel Ed gave to spike, the same pinwheel that installed an emergency locator just in case those bakas tried running out on Ed..again. But with the stealth computers installed I'm not sure that signal would still be accessible through public connections. And who knows, jet might have taken it off years ago..I could try hac.."  
  
Ed looked back at the boxes lying on the ground.  
  
"but the promise Ein....no more hacking..OH well I guess Ed can make an exception!"  
  
"Woof"  
  
-End scene-  
  
Hours later Ed sat at her desk with her old computer online and ready. She reached for her goggles.  
  
"well Ein here goes nothing"  
  
Ed slipped the goggles on over her eyes. All she could see was darkness.  
  
"c'mon you piece of shit! WORK!"  
  
"woof"  
  
Ed took off her goggles looking down at where Ein was barking.  
  
"what is it Ein?"  
  
"Woof"  
  
Ed looked at where Ein was facing to see that the power cord wasn't plugged in.  
  
*falls over anime style*  
  
Ed got up and slipped the goggles back on over her eyes. Now with the power on, everything in cyberspace was now visible right in front of her eyes.  
  
"Ok lets see, maybe if Ed ran a search on "Bebop"  
  
Ed cycled for countless hours through hundred of files, searching endlessly through the deep corners of cyberspace. When Ed had finally slipped off her goggles her eyes were dilated and red.  
  
"aye! Ein doesn't look like Ed be able to locate them without doing a little hacking"  
  
Ed looked over to see Ein asleep on the cardboard couch.  
  
"good idea Ein, Ed will just run an overnight search, their bound to turn up somewhere. Hmm what should.my.hacker name be.can't use Ed they'll automatically know its me..hmmmmm..AH I GOT IT!" Ed slowley looked at each key as she typed in her alias "swordfish".  
  
Ed set down her goggles and dozed off in the spot where she was sitting at her computer.  
  
*End Scene*  
  
The next morning Ed woke up to a beeping noise coming from her computer.  
  
"huh?"  
  
she walked over ein and picked up her goggles  
  
"Time to see all the radical places the bebop has been in the last 10 years!!!"  
  
Ed put on her goggles and read the screen. Her jaw dropped.  
  
"1 place?!?!? Only 1!!!"  
  
Ed let out a deep breath as she rolled on her back.  
  
"well mabye it will help me find them.lets see.Jacks Tune up and repair shop...."  
  
*falls over anime style*  
  
"Ayyyyyyye"  
  
Ed rolled on her side in dissapointment  
  
"At this rate Ein, we'll never be able to find them.*sigh*, well Ed did run those file hacks through all the ships who have entered the gates in the last 12 hours. How bout those Ein?"  
  
Ein was still asleep in the same position he fell asleep in.  
  
"lets see, 1,523,908,334 files found, ok so now Ed will copy them all to my computer and run a search for bebop!" * Estimated time left 8 hours 35 minutes *  
  
"We'll Ein looks we have some time, lets go out and see if Ed can scrounge up some grub"  
  
"Woof"  
  
Ed exited her "home" and looked out at the bright horizon. The town which ed lived in was set up for criminals on the run, no law enforcement existed, only the laws of the land owners applied. The population was never determined due to the fact that half is killed or ends up missing every week.  
  
"Ein, how bout we pay a visit to ciro?"  
  
"woof"  
  
Next to Dr. Kiko, and Ein, Ciro was Ed's only friend. Well sorta.  
  
* knock knock *  
  
from inside "Yeah what the hell do you want"  
  
Ed stood in front of Ciros home. She has never been inside of it, nor cares to be.  
  
"Hey Ciro. umm Ed and Ein.well mainly Ein was just wondering if you had an- "  
  
"Ed damn you, everyday you come by here asking for food! I tell you all I got is mushrooms, and for some reason you wont eat mushrooms any more!"  
  
"uhh.oh yeah. hee hee. well its just that ed is really Hungry!!"  
  
Ciro now appeared at his door opening it only enough to peek his scrawny head out.  
  
"Ed I don't get it, your one of the best hackers on earth, yet you don't have 1 woolong to save your life. Why don't you just hack into some swiss accounts, and just rob em clean!?"  
  
"yeah well ed kinda stopped"  
  
"yea yea yea we all know the story you quit right? Well the only reason we let you in this place was because you were a criminal on the run, but now, your just another broad vacating one of my "Fine" establishments."  
  
"Well for your information Ciro"  
  
Ed said while pointing her finger at ciro's forehead "Ed just ran a string hack on over 200 ships that passed through the gates, and right now Ed scanning every one of their files"  
  
Ciro stood at door in amazment  
  
"That's impossible, no one can hack through those ships, their all stealth CPUs now!"  
  
"nope nope, Ed found a way around hacking directly into through the root directories, all Ed has to do is send in a hook virus through the connection between the warp gate and the transferring woo long that the gate takes for passing through, its goes through the whole system, hooks all the info, and drags it back to Eds computer.Simple huh"  
  
Ciro looked at Ed for a few moments with a shocked look on his face.  
  
"well kid, welcome back to the club, your one of us again."  
  
Eds faced turned red, she clenched her teeth and squeezed her fist together  
  
"You Freakin BAKA!!" Ed shouted while jumping around and throwing a tantrum. "Ed is SO NOT a criminal! Im doing this to find my home.and get out of this dump!"  
  
"hey hey hey, watch it now kid, that's my home your talking about, and unless you want your 'temporary home' to be with you a lil longer, I suggest you pay the rent."  
  
"yea yea yea Ed hears ya" Ed mumbled as she walked away from ciro staring at the floor." 


End file.
